GW Bridge closure continues to cause heartburn for Christie

On the same day New Jersey Governor Chris Christie fired a staffer and apologized for the George Washington Bridge fiasco, the U.S. attorney in New Jersey says he will look into the incident.

Four lanes of the bridge were closed with no warning back in September, leading to massive traffic tie-ups in Fort Lee, N.J. Democrats accused Christie’s office and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of deliberately closing the lanes as political retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee for failing to support Christie’s re-election campaign.

Emails published earlier this week between the fired Christie staffer and an official with the port authority appeared to confirm those accusations, though Christie denied any knowledge of the incident in a press conference on Thursday.

Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune reports that a class-action suit was filed on Thursday, Jan. 9, on behalf of residents who say they suffered economic damages as a result of the closings because they were stuck in traffic. Six Bergen County residents have filed a class action lawsuit seeking damages for making them late to work and causing undue anxiety.

The complaint names Governor Christie, former aide Bridget Kelly, officials at the Port Authority, the Port Authority itself, and the State of New Jersey as defendants.